Evening Star Newspaper, June 8, 1940, Page 8

The Tbening Star With Sunday Morning Edition. THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor. WAS GTON, D. C. SATURDAY. - June 8, 1940 The Evening Star Newspaper Company. ain Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. M o Oee: 176 Entr Tond St Chicugo Office: 435 North Michigan Ave, Delivered by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Edition, Evening and Sunday 75¢ per mo. or 18c per weck The Evening Star 45¢ Der mo. 0r 10¢ per week The Sunday Star & 10c per copy Night Final Edition. Night Final and Sundsy Star Night Final Star __ Rural Tube Del The Evening and Sunday Star 85¢ per month 60¢ per month £3¢ pe~ morth The Evening Star 552 per montp The Sunday Star | 10¢ per copy Collection made at the end of each month or each week. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- Phone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Paiiy and Sunday 1 yr. $1200; 1 mo. $1.00 ily only 1 yrl "$8001 1 mol. ibe 8unday only_ ‘1 yr, $5.00i 1 mo, 50c Entered as second-class matter post office, Washinglon, D. Member of the Associated Press, The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this Baper and aiso ihe local news published herein All righis ‘of publication of special dispaiches herein also are rescrved. = - Excess Guns and Planes The magnificent fight which the Allied Armies are waging along the “Weygand Line” should spur Amer- ica even more in her belated efforts to speed material aid to Britain and France in this desperate stand against Hitlerism. “Stubborn resist- ance,” the German high command calls it, in acknowledging that the Intended blitzkrieg toward Paris has been slowed down by General Wey gand’s staggered machine gun nests, 75-millimeter batteries and cannon- bearing planes. But the French are battling in the face of almost over- whelming odds. They need more planes and more guns—especially | element of confusion of thought and 75s—and they need the support of British divisions which escaped from Flanders, but which cannot re-enter the fray until they have been sup- plied with rifles and ammunition and other equipment which they lost in retreat. President Roosevelt ungdoubtedly had this disturbing picture in mind | when he asked Congress yesterday for legislative authority to release, under a trade-im plan, considerable quantities of out-of-date war sup- plies to the hard-pressed European defenders of our democratic way of | life. necesary, he said, to “trade in” cer- tain outmoded rifles, artillery, am- munition and other implements of war to manufacturers, who could then sell the materiel to the Allies. By a similar method, the Navy pre- viously had made available to Brit- Specific legal authorization is | ain and France some half a hundred | bombers, which, while comparatively new, already had become obsolescent by reason of rapid developments in airplane engineering. While the plane transaction apparently was possible without special legislation, administration officials desire con- onal approval of the trade-in device, for releasing warehouse stocks of old French 75s, obsolete rifles and machine guns and other equipment not essential to our own defense. Outright deliveries of some of this equipment already have been made through third parties, without bene- fit of the exchange arrangement. It is highly important to American security that the necessary congres- sional authority for these transac- tions be given quickly and that the surplus and out-of-style materiel— since we have nothing better to offer at this time—be rushed to the be- leaguered Allied forces across the Atlantic. If the British Tommies and the French Poilus can make use of these excess weapons in staving off the German “Panzer” divisions and thereby abate the menace of world anarchy, it s to America’s interest to speed the can- non and planes to the Allied front. The longer Hitler's mechanized armies can be held at bay, the greater are the chances that the tide of battle will turn in favor of the Allies and the less are our chances of getting involved in this war. Lay- ing aside sympathy entirely, pru- dence demands that we should slash red tape at every turn and facilitate in every way possible the delivery to Britain and France of every plane and gun we can spare. Safety for Children During the first five months of 1939 seven children met their deaths on Washington's streets. So far this year only two have been Kkilled in traffic, one while standing in a safety zone, the other apparently while playing in an alley. Within a few days the summer vacation from classes will begin, marked by a nat- ural sense of exultation and release from discipline. Schoolboy patrols, which for nine months have exerted an effective control, will be dis- banded, and most of the school play- grounds will be closed. It is important that this change in the manner of life for 100,000 or more younger Washingtonians should be met by increased safety precautions. Primarily the burden of summer safety rests with parents, but the past has shown the inade- quacy of attempting to localize that responsibility. As a result, supple- mental efforts are being made this year to prevent further accidents. For weeks the schools have been expounding the doctrine of self-pro- tection through the practice of safe habits. And, still more far-reaching, since it touches closely upon the home, is the program of the Recrea- tion Department assisted by the Work Projects Administration and the Traffic Advisory Council. This program consists of three parts: Constant reminders by means of r ! | confidence. | be told posters; safety education by means of a touring model “Safety City”; and development of. backyard play- grounds designed to interest chil- dren in activities which keep them off the streets. Backyard playgrounds, to be fos- tered through model exhibits and prizes for the best arranged yards in various sections of the city, offer an effective means not only of promot- ing safety but of enhancing the wel- fare of the community through development of a more widespread system of healthful activities. These efforts deserve popular sup- port to the end that playing safely will become a tradition in the cotn- munity. Plea for Candor At a time when this country is taking prodigious strides in re- armament to prepare for a possible clash with hostile forces that press upon us from three directions it is essential that the American people be told the truth. They are being called upon to make large sacrifices now and they will be required to endure greater privations in the future. But there 1s no evidence of any public unwill- ingness to do whatever may be neces- sary to safeguard this country. On the contrary, there is every indica- tion that the American people are far ahead of most of their leaders in this respect. But that degree of national unity and co-ordination of effort which is essential to adequate preparedness in the short time that may be left to us cannot be achieved unless all the people have the greatest possible understanding of just what dangers we are preparing against. Until the truth, so far as it is possible to ascer- tain it, is told in this respect, there is certain to be a seriously harmful action in everything we undertake, and the President could render no greater service at this time than to take the American people into his As the one national leader to whom the people look for guidance, he should tell them the whole truth, however disconcerting it may be. In the past the President has been too cautious in his public statements. This discreet attitude may have been dictated by the outery which has gone up from the isola- tionist bloc when he has sounded even veiled warnings of impending danger, but the necessity for taking this factor into account, if it ever existed. has disappeared, for it has been demonstrated beyond doubt that the people want to know the facts and are courageous enough to the truth without any reservations. The confusion which can result from anything less than candor in official statements is evidenced by events of the past few days. Last week the President asked for authority, in the absence of Congress, to call to active service a portion of. the National Guard. intimated that he looked with favor upon proposals for adoption of a system of universal compulsory mili- tary training. The Star believes that | either or both of these may be de- sirable, if not absolutely necessary, to our national security, But there is a vast difference between them, and the President ought to be explicit in revealing the facts which may make either or both imperative in the immediate future. This is espe- cially true, if demoralizing confusion is to be avoided, in view of the apparent belief of General George C. Marshall, Army chief of staff, that our first step ought to be the raising, equipping and training of a Regular Army of 400,000 men. General Mar- shall has said that he wants to avoid the necessity of calling on the National Guard at this time if it is possible to do so. He has expressed the conviction that we can expand the Army more quickly than we can mobilize the Guard. That language seems to imply that the Army high command believes that our first necessity is to build up our Regular Army as quickly as possible, but that, obviously, cannot be done if we are to undertake simultaneously a pro- gram of universal military training. The problem is one of putting first things first, and it is of primary importance that Mr. Roosevelt ex- press his views in this respect with complete candor. This necessity for frankness in discussion of our man power require- ments applies with equal force to other considerations. Fifth column activities in Latin America, for exam- ple, are a serious menace. We have sent two heavy cruisers there on ‘good will” visits. If the sending of these ships southward was a precau- tionary measure, as undoubtedly was the case, nothing is to be gained by absurd explanations that they are on good will tours. The American people as a whol€ are disturbed by ominous trends in certain Latin American nations and if the danger from that direction is as real as it appears to be, or if the contrary is true, nothing could be lost and a great deal could be gained by a frank statement of the facts. There is no justification for cod- dling the American people. All the evidence strongly indicates that they are whole-heartedly supporting the President in his foreign policies, but they are confused for lack of guid- ance—guidance which can come only from Mr. Roosevelt. Georgetown Compromise Seeking to compose the differences among conflicting interests, the Dis- trict Commissioners have put ‘into effect a compromise affecting park- ing on M street in Georgetown. Under the new regulations one side of the only street connecting Key Bridge with the center of the city v Yesterday he | pyrone would be anathema to the THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 1940 THIS AND THAT By Charles E. Tracewell. will be kept clear during rush hours and parking will be limited to thirty minutes on the side streets. This agreement is not a complete answer to the problem of facilitating through traffic, nor does it meet fully with the wishes of Georgetown'’s businessmen and citizens. But under the circumstances it is the best ar- rangement that could be made at this time. Merchants, depending to a large extent upon Virginia trade, originally had opposed any restric- tion, since very little space is avail- able in their section of the city for off-street parking. Virginians and others, meeting; the dense jams which impeded tbkeir travel to and from their homes, asked for a cleared route, while residents of Georgetown were forced to park blocks from their homes because of the curb-space con- gestion of adjacent streets. While the compromise will effect some relief for all concerned, the problem of Washington's Key Bridge approach should be given a leading position in any planning for the fu- ture. Already demands have been made for additional bridges, but the Key span, serving the more populous areas of Arlington and Fairfax Counties, will remain an important link. Work now under way will re- lieve bottleneck conditions on the Virginia side of the river, but little of the sort has been done on the District side. The problem should be considered immediately in order to meet the increased demands of the future. —_— Russia’s Shift Soviet Russia is giving definite in- dications of a shift toward establish- ing closer relations with the Allies, and statements by Soviet sources in London that Russian and Allied in- terests in the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean are parallel raises the possibility of diplomatir co-operation between the Soviet Union Britain and France for the mutual pictec- tion of their interests in that region. It is too early, of course, to say that Dictator Stalin has | before the emergence of Hitler. OF¥ Stars, Men And Atoms Notebook of Science Progress In Field, Laboratory And Study By Thomas R. Henry. Thére are 29 kinds of synthetic rub- ber, 13 of them German. Nearly all of them are better, in one or more respects, than natural rubber. They are also from two to five times more expensive. The biggest single item that "enters into rubber synthesis is electricity. The basic chemical formulae for the majority of them is quite similar. They are polymerizations of butadiene, a liquid hydrocarbon whose molecule con- sists of four atoms of carbon and six of hydrogen tied together in a specific ar- rangement. Butadiene can be extracted from coke or from petroleum. It is an extremely volatile liquid which boils and disappears as vapor at about the freezing point of water under atmospheric pres- sure. It so happens that butadiene is very similar to the basic substance of latex, or natural rubber. The molecules of this liquid, isoprene, are hooked together in long chains of several hundred. This forms the crude rubber of commerce. When the molecules of butadiene are hooked together in a similar fashion a product is obtained which only a chemist can distinguish from actual latex. The problem from the first has been to bring about this hooking together. or polymerization. The pioneers have been the Germans. During the first World War one of the outstanding weaknesses of the Reich was rubber shortage. A factory was set up which produced 2,500 tons of butadiene rubber. This, it is generally agreed, was of inferior quality and the whole project was dropped after the armistice. Synthetic rubber experimentation on the butadiene basis was resumed in 1926 | by chemists of the great I. G. Farbenin- dustrie, the German dye monopoly and considerable progress was made long Sev- | eral score American patents were filed. regretted his | non-aggression pact with Germany | and now desires to recede from close affiliation with the Reich. In fact, it is explicitly stated that Russia is maintaining her ties with Hitlerian Germany. But the Kremlin must view with some concern German military successes of the past month, for in them the Soviet may well read its own fate if Germany's hands are ever freed in Western Europe. The nation against whom Allied- Russian co-operation may be aimed, however, is Italy, whose entrance into the war seems imminent. It is precisely in Southeastern Europe that Russian and Italian interests conflict, and if Italy were to move | into the war one probable objective would be to expand her hold in the Balkans while gaining advantages from the Allies in the rest of the Mediterranean area. Italian expansion in Southeastern Russians, who would have reason to | fear the proximity of Germany’s axis partner to her own territory., So- viet Russia is vitally concerned with maintaining her outlet through the Black Sea into the Mediterranean, an outlet which is already subject to control by Turkey. Further Italian expansion in Southeastern Europe could only be interpreted by the Kremlin as a menace to that outlet, particularly in view of Italian ani- mosity toward the Soviet system. It is this apprehension over her own material interests which dictates Russia’s co-operation with the Allies, and not a desire to see the Allies win the war, for it is not in the interest of Russia’s hope of dominating Europe that either the Allies or Germany should win a decisive victory. Agricultural Triumph A farmer of Columbia, Missouri, owned ninety-three pigs which had a bad habit of straying off the reser- vation, showing uncanny ingenuity in burrowing under fences. In order to prevent wholesale emigration, he took a leaf out of the totalitarian book and put up an electrified wire fence on the frontier, equipped with a balanced ration of volts and am- peres not strong enough to Kkill, but powerful enough to keep the pigs away. They soon learned to have a healthy respect for the device. Once this lesson had been thor- oughly learned by the pigs, the next step in farm economy was to shut off the power. Being in absolute control of the local information service, the farmer was able to turn off the current and keep that sig- nificant news from the pigs, so that the deluded animals still stayed home. The farmer was now ready for the grand climax. One bright day he went out and removed the entire fence, while interested neighbors assembled to watch the stampede. It never developed. The regimented pigs wistfully eyed the unguarded frontier, but none was rash enough to cross it. In this humble fashion, and with much less trouble than Marconi had, was born the latest triumph of agriculture—the wireless fence. Our B;ltish c;s{ns h?u nlways- been most meticulous about costume and armament when gunning for pheasant, woodcock, waterfowl or stag. It is thought that they will become much more casual when it comes to popping off at parachutists. If—and it is an awfully big “if”— that victory parade that should have occurred in 1918 ever goes down Unter Den Linden, the head of the column should consist of Czech, Nor- wegian, Danish and Dutch detach- ments, A Government chemists who have studied them say that they mean very little un- less one has a key to them. Two years | ago, however, the “G. 1.” was allowing | foreigners to go through its plants and observe its basic chemical processes. They referred to the product as “blood rubber,” something synthesized not only out of coke and lime, but the blood of | the German people who had been de- territorial | | | | | prived of natural rubber by the brutal, capitalistic western powers. Basically the process is to extract the butadiene from coke, a process requiring considerable expenditure of electricity It would actually be cheaper to extract it from petroleum, but Germany has no petroleum to spare with lime. This forms a white powder, calcium carbide, which is mixed with water in various proportions. This turns it into a gas, which, by means of certain catalysts, is changed back into a liquid | new one every vear or two, whereas a again. After several more transforma- tions it polmeryzes into an elastic sub- stance very close to rubber. Thus far the process is well known and the “rubber” is not of very good quality. It is the basic “buna” upon which the German armies are rolling westward. Since the advent of the Nazi regime, however, several refinements have been added to the process, included the addi- tion of a chemical called styrine, ob- | tained from natural gas, and another known as acrylonitrite. Both enter the process of polymerization The styrine rubber, buna S, is the most common. It is used chiefly for tires. It is then mixed | There are well authenticated claims that | such tires will stand up from 30 to 50 per cent better on road tests than natural rubber. The acrylonitrite rubber is more expensive. Its great value is that it stands up better in contact with petro- leum products. License to manufacture buna, in its | various forms described in German pat- ents, has been given to an American corporation. During the past few years a small amount has been exported from Germany. Louisiana now is building a plant at Baton Rouge, which, it is estimated, will turn out about 10,000 pounds a day. One German plant, a subsidiary of the G. 1. Farbenindustrie, is now turning out about 25,000 tons a year and another with the same capacity is very near the production stage. The Germans have been somewhat secretive about costs of the process. The buna exported to the United States was sold for about $1 a pound. Allowing for a reasonable profit this would make the cost about four times that of natural rubber, which varies between 15 and 20 cents a pound. Germany's normal rubber consumption is about 100.000 tons a year. It is pro- ducing, at the best, about half of this amount out of coke and lime. The United States, the biggest rubber consumer, re- quires about 600000 tons a year. An enormous and costly industrial develop- ment would be necessary before all this could be extracted from petroleum,. the most likely source of butadiene in the New World. Russia also is reputed to be making about 50,000 tons of rubber a year, some of it by the buna process and some by processes stolen from the United States. Little is known about the progress of the Russian synthetic rubber industry. A few samples examined here have been inferior to both the German and the American output. There are several other processes known for making artificial rubbers, some of which are superior in several respects to the natural product. One is chloro- prene, the patent for which is possessed by the Du Pont Co.,, in which chlorine from salt enters into the formula. It is superior to natural rubber in several respects and also more expensive. An- other is thiokol, produced by a different chemical process which can be turned out at from 35 to 60 cents a pound. Much experimental work on artificial Tubber has been carried on over the past decade by the United States Bureau of Standards in Washington. The Gov- ernment chemists also have kept close track of the developments in Europe. Their information is at the service of the American people. The United States, the bureau chem- ists say, can make all the rubber it wants whenever it is willing to pay the price. But even with the most efficient mass production methods it can hardly hope to meet the present costs of natural rub- ber and 600,000 tons & year will require some enormous factories, The Standard Oil Co. of | Good tools to work with are an essen- tial iIn any job, and in none more so than in gardening. The amateur gardener will make his biggest mistake if he stocks up on cheap tools. He needs a really good lawn mower, a good rake, a good spade, good grass clip- pers, good hose, a good trowel, and so on. If he contents himself with the cheap- est makes he can find, he may get along, in a fashion, bu’. not withsut fussing a.id fuming as he goes, and in the end paying far more for replacements than that for which he could have secured first-class articles to begin with. * Xk *x The cheap attitude, in gardening, mostly comes about because the ama- teur is an amateur, and has a poor out- look upon his job. He neither pictures the work to be done as serious, nor himself as serious in its performance. This is too bad. Digging in the earth, even a little, gets back to funda- mentals. It means that the digger is at one with all nature, at least for a few minutes. There is something soothing to the spirit of man about raking and digging. Even if one has to force one’s self to the task! Surely it does not come natural, as we say, for & man who has never handled anything more weighty than a pen or pencil to take up a spade or roll a mower for an hour or more over a humpy lawn. * x %k % His task will not be any the easier for & spade made by some one, like him- self, who never did much digging. Yet this is what happens, all too often. And there are lawn mowers, seemingly made by people who neyer mowed a lawn; trowels, which catch you in the heel of the palm and cause blisters, evi- dently constructed by those who never had any occasion to use a trowel; gar- den hose, manufactured by wights who, having no actual need for hose them- selves, didn’t care whether it kinked unmercifully in our hands or not. There is all the difference in the world between a good spade and a poor spade, and almost as much between a good spade and an indifferent spade. Even these light bamboo rakes with which we rake the lawn twice a year, or ought to, can be as different as anything. Some of them are a nuisance to han- dle. Others do the job neatly. * X X X Lawn mowers are a chapter all in themselves. A good mower costs more, but it lasts four times as long, and gives # least ten times as much service. The additional cost of & good machine is really nothing, in comparison with the added length of life, and especially the lack of trouble. Nothing is more harassing, in the ordinary walks of life, than a lawn mow- er which is always getting out of order. Then the real life, too. is short, in the | cheap machine. You will be buying a good one will run for at least 10 years | of hard service without needing a single repair. If, of course, you are fortunate it may last 15 to 20 years. There are few machines of any sort which will last as long and give good service, under hard conditions, as a good priced lawn mower. America can be proud of its machin- ists, and especially of those who make the millions of lawn mowers used in this country. We are a grass-loving people. Our lawns may not equal those of Eng- land, where climatic couditions are bet- ter suited to Jawn making, but we love our plots, nevertheless. This is shown by the amount of time the American family man spends upon the grounds. Often more time than is necessary is put upon a recalcitrant lawn on account of a poor machine, which is always stick- ing and stopping and in many other ways causing trouble and irritation. The trouble is mechanical, the irritation mental. Both hurt. A good mower speeds over the ground, enabling the handler to get through the job in half the time taken by the neigh- bor who tries to get along with a poor machine. Now, a good machine need not be one of these fancy affairs, super- light, with automobile tires and so many gadgets that one looks for little head- lights to spring up at dark. No, a good mower means one properly built of good materials, not too heavy, not too light, and especially chosen to suit the musculature of the wielder. Mowers too narrow cause much added work; too wide, they are difficult for any one but an athlete to handle. And athletes, it has been noticed, are par- ticularly reluctant about cutting the lawn. Probably they think it is be- neath them—which it is, in one very good sense. * x % % There can be all the difference in the world between your mental outlook when putting in tulip bulbs with a really good trowel, and when trying to do the job with a trowel with too small a handle, or generally too light construction. | Grass snippers, trimmers, cutters, call | them what you will, are instruments of | torture, especially in causing finger blis- ters, if they are not good ones. A few cents saved here will mean much misery, especially to the back and legs. So it goes all through the garden. If beginners, especially, could get rid of the idea which they often have, that what they are about to do is not of very | | money. | Their tools, besides working effortlessly i for years, would last so much longer that | not only money would be saved, but also | patience, skin and musales. | In the end, one's trusty tools would | become old friends, because they had been, indeed, friends in need. If beginning gardeners, all these good people who have just secured plots of | land, would take this advice to heart, and act upon it, to the extent that their finances permit, we feel sure that in the years to come they would thank us | many times for this bit of advice. Letters to | Texan Would Amend Bill of Rights. To the Editor of The Star: You are doubtless aware that we are confronted with a “fifth column” scare in the Lone Star State. The proximity of the Mexican border adds to the hys- teria generated in these parts. Permit me to assure you that all this apparent hysteria is not to be passed over. We have a situation here which calls for an amendment to the Bill of Rights. Why grant a license to aliens to prn- mulgate propaganda which is violently against the ideas and ideals of the Constitution? There is one glaring defect in our gov- ernmental setup. We permit too much license without a guarantee of neighborly concord. It is against all the precepts of American Government to permit a foreign element to shout about ‘“un- Americanism.” TOWNSEND HOWES. Dallas, Tex. June 4. Help Allies Now Is Reader’s Petition. To the Editor of The Star: Let the United States openly and at once declare itself a non-belligerent ally of France and Great Britain. Lindbergh says this country is safe from invasion, so what is there to fear? Lindbergh should have added that this country is safe from invasion only as long as the Allles maintain their pres- ent status in the world. If they are de- stroyed by Hitler's mechanized might, built by his people’s seven years of sac- rifice, and by theft of money, food and ammunition belonging to countries he has killed, Europe and Africa will be di- vided between Hitler, Stalin and Musso- lini, with Japan controlling the East. In such a case, billions for defense in this country will be useless. It takes years as well as money to build a war machine, and the dictators will not wait politely for the United States to prepare. Utmost aid must be given to the Allies, and now, before it is too late. Through betrayal engineered by Nazis, the Allies have lost a vital part of their army. Mussolini, like a jackal, feels that at last it is safe to creep forward for a share in the spoils. This fact is proof that our first line of defense is in grave danger. If this country does not at once send every available war weapon to the Allies, she deserves to stand one day alone against & world of greedy enemies. CLARE GLAZIER. South Glastonbury, Conn. May 31. Star’s Support of Merit System Appreciated. To the Bditor of The Star: . On behalf of the National Federation of Federal Employes and the National Legislative Council of Federal Employe Organizations I wish to express thanks and appreciation for your consistent and vigorous editorial support of H. R. 960, Representative Ramspeck’s bill to extend the merit system and classifica- tion and to provide other needed im- provements and modernizations in the Federal system of personnel administra- tion. As your editarials on this subject have \ the Editor Letters to the Editor must bear the name and address of the writer, although the use of a pseudonym for publication is permissible. Please be brief! pointed out so effectively, this legisla- tion is vitally needed, and never so much as now, when everything possible should be done to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal administra- tive establishment. We are hopeful that, with your con- | tinued support, the enactment of this bill into law can be accomplished at the present session of Congress. Clearly, sound public policy demands that this step be taken. LUTHER C. STEWARD, President, National Federation of June 4. Federal Employes, Demands England Mobilize Full Strength Against Foe. To the Editor of The Star: I should like to call attention to an excerpt from the article by David Lloyd George in last Sunday’s Star: “The Brit- ish Empire has not yet put forth one- fifth of her strength in men and ma- terial. They must be mobilized without delay.” To those persons who have been clam- oring for us to rush to aid perfidious Albion, this statement by Britain’s ex- wartime premier and outspoken states- man should prove an eye-opener. While hundreds of thousands of soldiers of her allies are daily lost in the conflict, good old England leaves over 80 per cent of her own resources, both human and ma- terial, unmobilized! We must stay at peace. Let faithless England take care of the mess she got herself into. Let us see those four-fifths of her reserves put into action before we begin rushing American boys to die on Flanders flelds. DANIEL LEROY, May 29. Formula for Pleasure: Give to Red Cross. To the Editor of The Star: In these days of blackest savagery and of omnipresent distress and distrust, may I suggest that some of those being daily publicized as seeking vain and self- indulgent pleasure in lavish entertain- ment, curtail “for the duration” such futile and effervescent expenditure and contribute the price instead to the Red Cross fund and the many other agencies for the relief of starvation? Would not the potentialities for good of the money involved be thus multiplied & thousandfold? June 4. SOCIAL REGISTERITE. Scores Critics of Defense Program. To the Bditor of The Btar: If it were not so hackneyea ... true to form it would be interesting to ob- serve how many Washington editors, columnists and letter-writers are finding any and every thing being done toward national defense to be the wrong thing! Would it not be just a little more helpful as well as patriotic to keep quiet while those whose responsibility it is work out the way? May 30, M. Y. BROWN. Answers To Questions By Frederic J. Haskin. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Eve- ning Star ‘Information Bureau, Fred- eric J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. What is the greatest speed at which & baseball has been thrown?—L. A. A. In 1939 Atley Donald of the New York Yankees threw a baseball in the Cleveland Stadjum at the rate of 139 feet a second, or 94.7 miles an hour. Donald’s throw was the fastest ever re- corded on the speed meter owned by the Cleveland Indians. The previous record of 136 feet a second was held by Dee Miles of the Philadelphia Athletics. Christy Mathewson was clocked at 134 feet a second. Q. Is it true that more muscles are used in frowning than in smiling?—A. 1. A. It is estimated that 50 muscles are employed in frowning and only 13 in smiling. Q. What is the quotation from Long- fellow which Robert Taylor uses in the motion picture, “Waterloo Bridge"?—J. H M. A. It is “The thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts,” from “My Lost Youth.” Q. Where is the monument to freedom of conscience?—C. H. A. The Freedom of Conscience Monu- ment is at St. Marys City, the seat of the first settlement in Maryland. It was erected by the counties of Maryland in commemoration of Lord Baltimore's or- der which established freedom of con- | science in the worship of God in the earliest days of the colony. Q. On what date did President Woodrow Wilson promise to keep us out | of war if he were re-elected?—J. L. G. | A. At Milwaukee on January 31, 1916, | Wilson said: “I pledge you my word | that, God helping me, T will keep this Nation out of war if it is possible.” On | January 29, 1916, at Cleveland, he said: “You may count upon my heart and resolution to keep you out of war.” Q. What are some of the highest sal- aries paid to cartoonists?—T. E. A. According to the latest available great moment, therefore any old tools | will do, they would save themselves much | nagging unhappiness and also save some | income tax figures (1938), Robert L. Rip- | ley’s salary was $145048 and that of George McManus was $98,800. The late E. C. Segar in that year made $77,178. Q. How many calories do soda crackers contain? Are they fattening?—I. K. A. Three 2-inch square soda crackers | contain 10 grams or 45 calories. They are not considered fattening. Q. Where is Shipka Pass?—H. O. S A. Shipka Pass on the Balkan Penin- sula extends between Bulgaria and the territory formerly known as Eastern Rumelia and since 1885 has been incor- porated with Bulgaria. It has a height of 4600 feet above sea level and is 87 miles from Rustchuk and 50 miles north- east of Philippopolis. In the fight be- tween the Russians and Turks in 1877 the Russians held the position and Sulei- man Pasha lost 20,000 men in his at- tempt to take Fort Nicholas on the sum- mit of the pass, August 21-26 and Sep- tember 9-17, 1877, | Q. What does the river term “mark twain” mean?—H. J. S. A. “Mark twain” is a signal meaning two fathoms deep. Q. In what year did the Duke of Windsor make his second visit to the | United States>—F. D. G. A. The Duke of Windsor, then Prince of Wales, visited the United States the second time in 1924, traveling incognito | as Baron Renfrew. He traveled on the | S. S. Berengaria, in company with Lord and Lady Mountbatten, his cousins. Q. What States have the largest tour- | ist trade?—L. G. H. A."In 1939 New York State led in tour- ist trade with $677,122,000. California was second with $541,797,000. Q. Are there any Indian opera sing- ers?—A. H. W. A. Mobley Lushanya, lyric soprano of the Chicago City Opera Company is a full-blooded American Indian. Q. What is the word for goat meat? —M. W. A. When prepared for food, goat meat is called chevon. Q. Do the C. C. C. boys drill with rifles>—P. L. M. A. Civilian Conservation Corps en- rollees receive no training with rifles. Q. What is the origin of the saying to get down to brass tacks?>—G. R. D, A. One logical explanation is that many years ago on the counter of a general store, there were brass tacks ar- ranged in regular order to indicate a vard and fractions thereof. When mate- rial by the yard was sold, the saleswoman literally “got down to brass tacks” to measure the material. Q. What kind of cooking utensils are used in the White House?—R. T. A. Both aluminum and stainless steel are used. Give (Europe’s Silent Plea to the American Red Cross.) Great smiling land widespread beyond the sea, Still singing songs, still having faith to pray, Where love still laughs and little chil- dren play, How sorely, deeply, have we need of thee! Shield from the storm thy flame of liberty Lest in thfs dark hour freedom's last bright ray Shall flicker out, and we, who once loved day, Grope through an endless night of tyranny. Our children maimed, our maidens put to shame, Our young men slain defending hearth and soil, ‘While millions of us sweat in hum- bling toil For them we hate—such is our hapless doom, 4 America! Bewildered, blind and lame Wetumwtheamnnulh‘mmflmn. CHARLES J. BENEDICT. .